1. Field of the Invention
The present inventions relates to systems, apparatuses, and methods for collecting and diverting water from perimeter basement joints where water commonly collects.
2. Description of the Related Art
Water entering a building's foundation or basement is a common but potentially very damaging and expensive problem. Points of entry of the water occur at the intersection or joints of the basement footing 10, basement wall 12, and basement floor slab 14. Referring to FIG. 1, the footing 10 is concrete laid in the soil. Thus, the footing 10 defines a perimeter of the building and presents an interior of the foundation 16 that retains soil. The basement wall 12 is positioned atop the footing 10 so as to leave an interiorly exposed interior section 18 of the footing 10. The basement floor slab 14 is then poured atop the interiorly exposed section 18 of the footing 10 and the interior foundation soil.
As water tables rise, the soil surrounding the foundation, including the soil in the interior of the foundation 16 and underneath the footing 10, becomes saturated with water. Due to hydrostatic pressure resulting from the increased volume of soil bearing against the foundation, the soil pushes against the footing 10 on all sides, against an exterior face 20 of the basement wall 12, and underneath the basement floor slab 14. Water then begins to seep in at any joints in the foundation. Again referring to FIG. 1, these joints exist where the footing 10, the basement floor slab 14, and the basement wall 12 intersect. In particular, water from water-saturated soil in the interior of the foundation 16 is leached to an underside of the floor slab 14 due to capillary action, where the water then seeps along the top of the footing 10 and to a top of the basement floor 14. Water also enters the foundation at the exterior face 20 of the basement wall 12, along the top of the footing 10, and up to the basement wall 12. Finally, water enters along an interior face 22 of the basement wall 12 and at the floor 14.
Water diverting or drainage systems have been developed to combat at least some of the sources of water in a basement. In a first system, a perforated drain pipe (commonly referred to as a “drain tile”) is installed in the soil proximate to the basement footing and approximately 8-12 inches deep (relative to the top of the footing). Water enters the drain tile horizontally. Because water is naturally intermixed with sediment, and further due to the size of the perforations, the drain tile becomes clogged with soil and other particulates over time. An additional problem with an installed drain tile is that it tends to move away from the footing over time. Thus, when access to the drain tile is required for replacement or mending, the user does not necessarily know where to dig to locate the drain tile. Moreover, the user must dig fairly deeply to access the drain tile at the 8-12 inches depth. Displacement of the soil at this depth is undesirable, as it creates pockets or holes that potentially undermine the integrity of the footing.
In a second system, a pipe having intermittently spaced holes along an interior-facing side of the pipe is installed above the basement footing and under the basement floor slab. Thus, the pipe is not installed directly in the soil, as in the first system. Although the pipe receives water flowing down the interior face of the basement wall and along a top of the footing and under the basement wall, the pipe is insufficient for receiving water leaching upwards from the interior of the foundation. Because soil located in the interior of the foundation is especially prone to retaining water, it is desirable to install a water diverting system that pulls water from the soil in the interior of the foundation and away from the foundation.
Accordingly, there is a need for a water diverting system that is operable to divert water from the three common areas of water collection and that can be installed with minimal interruption to the surrounding soil.